Venous Insufficiency Chicago
Your veins take the blood back to your heart from other areas of the body after being distributed by your arteries. When they do not function properly, it is considered venous insufficiency, chronic venous stasis, or venous disease. This means that blood flow through the body is impaired. Often the veins that have this insufficiency are found in the legs.
The causes of venous insufficiency are issues within the veins themselves. For example, there could be a blood clot blocking the flow of blood through the veins, or there could be a problem with the valves inside the veins which could be causing backward leakage of veins. This can be a chronic condition with risk factors that vary across the following dimensions:
Age: The older you are, the more at risk you are for venous insufficiency.
Family history: If there is a history of venous insufficiency in your family, you are likely at higher risk of having the condition.
Weight: Those who are overweight or obese are at a much higher risk for venous insufficiency along with a myriad of other health problems.
Height: Tall individuals are also often at a higher risk for venous insufficiency because your legs have to do more work against gravity to get the blood to travel up into the rest of the body.
Sex: Women, because of their high levels of progesterone, are at a higher risk of venous insufficiency. Pregnant women are at an especially high risk.
Medical history: If you have a history of blood clots you are more likely to have venous insufficiency.
Venous Insufficiency can lead to leg swelling (otherwise known as edema), skin discoloration, ulcers in the legs, discomfort, and pain in the legs. You may experience a dull achiness, heaviness, or cramping in the legs as well. Itching and tingling may also occur. Varicose veins, redness, and thickening or hardening of the skin on the legs and ankles are also symptoms of venous insufficiency.
There are a variety of things you can do to prevent venous insufficiency such as regular exercise, weight loss, caring for wounds and infections, and wearing compression stockings to decrease swelling. There are also nonsurgical treatments that can be offered by a physician, including sclerotherapy, where a chemical solution is injected into the vein, or ablation, where heat is used to close off and destroy the vein so that it will disappear over time.
If you are a resident of Chicago, Naperville, Schaumburg, or the surrounding areas and you believe that you may be suffering from venous insufficiency, Veins Without Surgery can help. You should come see us if you have painful varicose veins, your condition worsens, or you have a sudden spike in leg pain, swelling, or sores.
